Ghana Child Health Project (April 1999 - July 2002)
The American Red Cross is partnering with the Ghana Red Cross Society in a Child Health Project to reduce the high incidence of illness and death among children under the age of five. Nearly 30,000 children and mothers in rural districts of the Upper East Region benefit from the behavior change skills taught by 1,242 members of Red Cross Mothers' Clubs. This three-year collaboration is reaching non-literate women with life-saving information about the cause and prevention of the five common childhood killer conditions: diarrhea, pneumonia, measles, malaria and malnutrition.

The Red Cross volunteers go to their home villages and neighbors to teach them about immunizations, exclusive breastfeeding, avoiding mosquito bites, checking a toddler's respiration, and how to make oral rehydration solution. The Mothers' Club Leaders, travelling by their project bicycles, visit sick children, refer them for appropriate clinic care and dispense malaria and diarrhea treatments. Through songs, dances, role-plays and other creative activities, mothers practice their new skills and are monitored by Ministry of Health nurses who also volunteer with the project. Members' newfound knowledge and enthusiasm have increased the prominence of women's views in the community. All Village Health Committees in the project area now have a Red Cross Mothers' Club volunteer among their membership.

American Red Cross History in Ghana

As part of the Measles Initiative, more than 900,000 children under the age of 15 were vaccinated in Ghana in December 2001. The Initiative which is being led by the American Red Cross in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF, World Health Organization, African national societies and other partners, aims to control measles deaths in Africa by vaccinating 200 million children through both mass and follow-up campaigns in up to 36 sub-Saharan African countries. During the Ghana campaign more than 1,000 local Red Cross volunteers were mobilized to help with the immunizations. Another campaign targeting almost 8 million children is scheduled for this year.

Country Overview

In recent years, northern Ghana has experienced drought, deforestation, and a high rate of unemployment. Although well endowed with natural resources limited land for agriculture combined with drought has played havoc with the region's economy, which revolves around subsistence agriculture. As the economic situation has deteriorated so has the country's ability to provide health services, especially among rural, hard-to-reach populations.